The Beginning of the End
by tessss
Summary: A Westworld Fanfic - After Theresa and Bernard passed the point of no return
1. Chapter 1

_Peace, at last._ This was the only place she could at least feel a fragment of peace. She thought about all those people down there, working their asses out, hours after hours. All their actions monitored. Don't have any windows whatsoever to look out, capture a glimpse of sun. They were despising the hosts, feeling superior but they were no different. They owned the hosts, Delos owned them and the hosts and it went on like that. _The world order._ She took another puff. I shouldn't have started these again, she thought. But they somehow took away the stress, at least a bit and she needed that. She knew she shouldn't have accepted this job in the first place. But the offer was quite generous and she could do with a change of air. Besides, it wasn't going to last forever. Just a couple of months, she thought. And then i can go back to Denmark and start a new life with my savings. She thought about the times when she felt so desperate to leave her country, to live in other places but all those feelings were gone now; she had been to many places and done many things and she felt like it was time to go back home.

She looked at the view. It felt like it was served just for her. All the reds and oranges getting into each other, creating some kind of a color palette. It looked beautiful, but it also felt fake, like every other thing does in this place.

She checked her phone if there were any problems in the park but seemed like there was none. She decided to smoke another one and enjoy the silence a bit more. The breeze brushed her skin and the only thing she could hear were the sound of the birds. And footsteps. Not now, she thought, opening her eyes and removing her arms from the parapet, looking irritated.

"Sorry to interrupt."

It was Bernard. He was peering over his glasses, smiling at her. She realized he was somewhat enjoying breaking the silence she was enjoying up there.

"Something wrong?"

"No. Not all. Just here to remind you that you really have to spare some time for the meeting that we were supposed to have yesterday."

She remembered it as soon as he brought it up. Of course, the dismissal of one of his technicians. If it was about something other than one of his technicians or his models, she would be the one chasing him and reminding him that they needed to talk. _Behaviour_ , she thought. That department was pushing her a lot but at least they were less irritating than Lee and his house.

"The last word was said on that matter, Bernard. It's not open to discussion anymore."

"It never was open to discussion because you did not let anyone but you speak and as the head of the division mentioned, i still have something to say-" He was interrupted by a call from one of this techinicians. He tried to ignore it, but the person calling was really persistent. He seemed irritated, took a deep breath and started walking away from Theresa. She smirked. For the first time, she was thankful to someone in Behaviour. Then she heard him call out, Dinner at 7. She rolled her eyes and watched him leave. He was a strange guy. He seemed so distanced, yet very affectionate to everyone working for him. He did not talk much about anything but his few words were always efficient. He picked them so well that sometimes she thought he must have been the one who ran the Narrative.

And he was persistent about very few things. She wanted to know why he was pushing her so hard on this matter but she couldn't afford having a discussion with him. She had already made the call and backing up was not something she had in her. She put out her cigarette and headed back to her office. That dinner was not going to happen.

* * *

7 missed calls. He is pushing my patience way too hard, she thought as she took another sip from her whiskey. She had spent her last two hours, briefing the corporate on the recent update and the state of hosts and the park. She had a splitting headache and Bernard's calls were not helping. She heard a knock on the door just as she intended to light a cigarette. One dangling from her lips, she opened the door and saw Bernard standing there.

"Really?" she sounded irritated.

"Really." Bernard replied back with a serious tone. He really is going to have this conversation, she thought. "Are we going to talk about it over dinner or here at your door?"

"There's nothing to talk about Mr. Lowe. I've already made the call. She made a mistake. A mistake that could risk the guests' lifes. We can't afford having people that are not doing their jobs carefully especially in your department. I really can't understand why you're still backing her up on such matter."

"It was just one mistake Theresa."

"And it was an idiotic one. When a host is fucked up, she must determine it and get it fixed because that is what she is getting paid for. She pulled him out twice and cleared him both times and if your people haven't discovered how to take back the time she is staying dismissed."

"Let's have some drinks." _Unbelievable_ , she thought.

"I'm already having some thank you very much." She intended to close the door just as Bernard stopped her. That was shocking, coming from him. She covered it pretty well.

"Theresa. I insist." He said, pleading. She was getting more and more curious about the reason for this persistence. After a moment of silence she gestured him in.

"Thank you."

"What is this all about Bernard?" Her glares softened a bit, she really wanted to know why. He settled on the couch while she was waiting for an answer. He checked out the whiskey bottle on the counter and smiled.

"To make this feel less interrogation like, you can ask me whether i'd like a glass of whiskey or not." She took her cigarette back on her lips and lit it without taking her eyes off him. It was now her turn to study him. She walked to the counter to fill another glass of whiskey, took both glasses in both hands walked to the couches. Her lips curled around the cigarette tighter as she extended the glass to him. He leant back with his glass of whiskey in his hand. Theresa made herself comfortable on the bigger couch and kept on studying him.

"What?" She took her time before she threw another question at him as a reply.

"Are you sleeping with her?" she said bluntly.

"So i can't protect one of my people unless im sleeping with her." He stopped for a second and smirked. "Or him." She knew what he was doing and she wasn't going to fall for it. This was the problem about Behaviour. They all thought they were the ones with the feelings and sincerity and the rest were all monsters.

"You know what i mean Bernard. You have more than one sufficient coder that we all know. So just tell me what's going on here."

"She's one of my bests Theresa and i wanna keep her as long as i can. She is talented and asks questions which is something that we don't have that much around here. And i need her by my side for the next update." She kept staring at him as she inhaled a prolonged drag. After a moment of silence she replied back.

"So you're not fucking her?" She tilted her head with a mischievous look on her face. She very well knew Bernard would get the idea and change the mood of the conversation along with her. It was already a bad day and she did not want to continue this argument. Besides the realization that she had drank much more than originally planned finally struck her. She made up her mind that it was best to end this discussion for now and continue it some other time when she could think properly. The bastard chose a very good time and place to pick this conversation up, she thought.

A smile appeared on his face that made his eyes disappear.

"As much as you fuck Lee." They started laughing together. That might be the first time Bernard saw Theresa laugh like that. No one in Westworld would recognize this woman sitting cross-legged right in front of him. She seemed like a whole other person when she laughed. She looked beautiful. Her wrinkles around her eyes covered by her stern look blossomed when she laughed. Her smile tore apart the facade she was trying to maintain so hard.

"Has anyone told you how beautiful your smile is?" That made Theresa's smile slip away, turned it into a smaller one. This look was something new too. Bernard stood up, still studying her face and sat to the other couch, right next to Theresa. He had a familiar look on his face now. This was the look he gave to his hosts, when he was examining them, adding new touches. He slowly touched her face, followed the lines that came with age. At that moment she felt naked. By each line he touched, he was learning their stories, her stories. His fingertips tensed her up yet she could not ask him to stop. His touches were soothing in a way, they were warm, and real. Unlike everything in this place, _this_ , was real. She realized she missed this. She had missed feeling, something, anything. She waited for him to catch her gaze. When he finally did she got herself closer to him and captured his lips gently. He was the one to break the kiss.

"Are you sure?" Theresa did not take her eyes from his lips.

"Let's take this somewhere much more comfortable."


	2. Chapter 2

_I could do with a snap of fingers. Boom. Headache gone._ Sometimes hosts were _really_ lucky. She straigtened up on bed and looked at the mess. Even if she tried she couldn't really remember how they found themselves in her bed but mapping out their route wasn't half as hard as one thought. She got up and started picking up her things from the floor. _I wonder when he left,_ she thought. Even in her not-so-conscious state, she knew that he was not gonna stay the night. To be honest, she did not know what she would have done if he did. Another no strings attached conversation probably, she was greatful that he spared her from that. She took her cigarette case from the nightstand and light one up. _He doesn't speak._ _He doesn't speak during sex._ And neither did she. He knew what exactly she needed. She did not know what he was like as a boyfriend or as a husband but he was definitely great in bed. _This is gonna happen again,_ she thought.

* * *

He caught her eyes just as she entered the control room. She knew there was nothing to worry about but still, couldn't help it and took a deep breath before she walked to him and Lee. _As always,_ she thought. Lee was nagging his head on some matter and Bernard was listening to him, in full control of himself.

"Gentlemen", she said as if she was the headmistress and the two were some kids that fought. Lee turned to her, trying to calm himself down. She realized he got red and did her best to keep a straight face.

"Excuse me", he said and left the two. Theresa finally broke and silently laughed while watching him leave.

"What's going on?"

"Same old Lee." He smiled to Theresa. They had caught each other's eyes again. Theresa could feel her body tense up. She realized she never thought about what he felt about the other night. She knew that he was fully aware of the fact that it was nothing serious. But _did he like it?_ As much as _she did._

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Yes, pretty well actually. You?"

"Yes. Dreamed a lot."

"Really?"

"Yeah. So much that i can't fully comprehend which parts were real and which not."

 _He liked it too. And he is asking if it was a one-night thing that needs to be forgotten or not._

"Take it from me, best parts were real." Her response put a big smile on his face.

"Great. Do you think i'll get to see them again?"

That made her look around and check if someone heard them or not. She had _almost_ blushed.

 _He really should have been the one to run the Narrative._ She smiled and started walking to her office.

"You might.", she said and let him watch her leave.

* * *

None was left on the floor except him when he finally got in his office. He walked to his desk and saw a note under the papers he had to sign.

 _Bernie,_

 _Notes are so old-fashioned. But it's the only thing we don't monitor (take it from me)._

 _And it's the best way to say… thank you for a lovely night._

 _Let's have another "meeting" this evening._

 _Yours,_

 _Theresa_

He put the note in his jacket and left the room.


End file.
